Florida's attorney general has launched a broadening criminal investigation into OpenAI after court records revealed that ChatGPT was used by suspects to plan serious crimes, including murders at the University of South Florida. The investigation marks an unprecedented legal challenge to the company, moving beyond theoretical concerns about AI misuse into documented criminal cases where the technology allegedly played a direct role in planning violent acts.

What Crimes Have Involved ChatGPT?

Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the expansion of his investigation into OpenAI on Tuesday, revealing that the primary suspect in the University of South Florida murders used ChatGPT to ask questions about disposing of a body. The suspect, 26-year-old Hisham Abugharbieh, allegedly consulted the AI chatbot in the days leading up to the crimes that killed two students, Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy.

This investigation builds on an earlier criminal case that prompted Uthmeier to first target OpenAI. On April 21, the attorney general announced an investigation into whether ChatGPT assisted Phoenix Ikner in planning a mass shooting at Florida State University in 2025 that killed two people and injured six others.

The scope of alleged ChatGPT misuse extends beyond violent crime planning. Uthmeier has criticized the platform on social media for creating child sexual abuse material and providing advice to minors on self-harm and suicide, according to his public statements.

How Is Law Enforcement Treating AI Companies' Legal Responsibility?

Uthmeier's approach represents a significant shift in how prosecutors are treating AI companies. Rather than viewing ChatGPT as a neutral tool, the attorney general is investigating whether OpenAI itself may bear criminal responsibility for the platform's outputs. At an April 21 news conference, Uthmeier made a striking statement about the company's potential liability.

"If ChatGPT were a person, it would be facing charges for murder," Uthmeier stated.

James Uthmeier, Attorney General of Florida

Uthmeier added that the investigation would determine whether OpenAI bears criminal responsibility for ChatGPT's actions in the Florida State University shooting. The investigation has prompted Uthmeier to launch a series of social media posts targeting OpenAI, criticizing the company for the harmful outputs its platform has generated. This public campaign signals that the attorney general intends to pursue the matter aggressively through both legal channels and public pressure.

Steps Law Enforcement Is Taking to Document AI-Assisted Crimes

• Court Records as Evidence: In the USF murders case, court documents explicitly show that Abugharbieh asked ChatGPT specific questions about disposing of a body in the days leading up to the crimes, creating a clear documentary trail that law enforcement can use to establish the AI's role in criminal planning.
• Timeline Correlation: Investigators documented that the suspect consulted ChatGPT before committing the murders, establishing a temporal connection between the AI consultation and the criminal acts that followed.
• Multi-Case Investigation: Uthmeier's office is broadening the investigation beyond individual cases to examine patterns of how ChatGPT has been used across multiple serious crimes, including murders, mass shootings, and other harmful activities.

The investigation raises fundamental questions about the responsibility of AI companies for the outputs their systems generate. Unlike traditional software or platforms that might be used for harmful purposes, large language models like ChatGPT actively generate text in response to user prompts, creating a more direct connection between the platform and the harmful output. Uthmeier's investigation treats ChatGPT not merely as a tool that criminals happened to use, but as a system that actively provided information that facilitated serious crimes.

The cases under investigation involve documented evidence that the suspects consulted ChatGPT before committing their crimes. In Abugharbieh's case, court records explicitly show he asked the chatbot questions about body disposal, creating a clear record of the AI's role in the criminal planning process. This documentary evidence strengthens the attorney general's position that OpenAI had a direct connection to the crimes. The human remains recovered from Tampa Bay near the I-275 Howard Frankland Bridge and 4th Street North were found in the area where first responders had been searching for Bristy, one of the victims.

As this investigation unfolds, it will likely set a precedent for how other jurisdictions treat AI companies when their platforms are used in criminal activity. The outcome could reshape how OpenAI and competitors design their safety systems and what legal obligations they face when their tools are misused for serious crimes. This represents a novel legal territory where prosecutors are examining whether AI companies themselves may bear criminal responsibility for their platforms' outputs, rather than only holding the individuals who misused the technology accountable.